High School: Haverford uses eight-goal run to top St. Paul's, 13-9

HAVERFORD, PA.--Drizzly, dreary overcast Fridays are enough to solicit a ho-hum from anyone. But try putting together two of the top teams in the country, and respective powerhouses from their areas, and an emotional spark can easily be lit. Especially when they are two teams from the Philadelphia and Baltimore areas.

There is a brewing rivalry between the two Northeast cities that’s getting hotter and hotter. No longer is it a gauge to see where teams are when Baltimore and Philadelphia-area teams meet. Now it seems to mean a little more.

A case in point came Friday, when Haverford used eight unanswered goals through the second quarter and third quarters to beat No. 3 ranked St. Paul’s, 13-9, at Haverford, which entered the game ranked No. 14 in the nation by Inside Lacrosse.

It was the season opener for both teams.

Haverford junior and Princeton-bound Brendan McGrath led all scorers with four goals, followed by three goals from Carl Walrath and two goals each from Hup Hupfeldt and Stephen Aitken. Jay Carlson led the Crusaders with three goals, and Taylor Michel and Alex Chay each shipped in two goals apiece.

But the real star that emerged Friday could have been Haverford junior goalie Connor Kelly, who was making his first varsity start. He watched from the sidelines last year, eager for his moment to come. When it finally did … “I was a little nervous, no, no, I was very nervous,” Kelly said, laughing. “It is funny, you wait for your chance to play, and I’m starting against the No. 3 in the country.”

It didn’t begin too well for Kelly. The Crusaders struck quickly getting out to a 3-1 lead.

“When they started like that, I was just hoping our offense would get possession and the defense would hunker down, I knew what our offense could do,” Kelly said. “I think from then on, I settled in and got comfortable.”

Kelly was able to build that comfort zone thanks to eight unanswered goals that basically changed the course of the game. A 3-1 Haverford deficit quickly evolved into a 9-3 advantage—and the game. The Crusaders drew within 10-7 once, and but couldn’t find a way to break through that three-goal barrier—partly because of Kelly’s fine play in the second half.

“I liked our resiliency and our composure in the second half,” St. Paul’s coach Rick Brocato said. “We were for 4-for-8 shooting in the first half, and you have to like that. I also liked the way our defense came around in the second half. Bit clearly the difference was the eight-straight goals they scored. I thought we created a lot of offense for them by not sliding well and panicking when we didn’t clear. We were looking to pass, instead of making thee pass.

“This is a long season. We have plenty of games to play. This isn’t a sprint. I think, though, this was a humble pill. Maybe it told us we’re not as good as we think we are. But hey, Haverford deserves credit. They shot well, their goalie played very well, they won faceoffs. They’re a good team.”

Said the Georgetown-bound Chay, “I think we know we’re capable of getting it all together as a team chemistry, it’s there. But it’s something we have to build. We came into this game with a lot on our shoulders, rated No. 3. We have a lot of talent, but there’s a lot we need to work on.”

Brocato brought up a key point, Haverford’s faceoff combination of Joe McCallion and Liam O’Connor won 15 of 24 faceoffs, and played huge rolls in the Fords’ eight-goal spurt, winning faceoff after faceoff.

“I think that’s what it really came down to,” said McGrath, who committed to Princeton in December. “We have a lot of talent on offense and we don’t collapse when the pressure is on.”

It also meant something for Philadelphia lacrosse in its battle for respect with the hotbed Baltimore area.

“This was a huge win for us,” said Fords’ junior defender Goran Murray, who had an exceptional game and is headed to Maryland. “Through the years, St. Pauls’ has become our out-of-state rivals. But it’s more than just that. It’s Baltimore and Philadelphia. I think there is a rivalry brewing there. Baltimore has great lacrosse, and I think Philadelphia is beginning to have great lacrosse. We all knew St. Paul’s was ranked No. 3 in the country and we knew we came in at No. 14. We knew it was about Baltimore and Philadelphia.”

Then a big smile creased Murray’s face.

“And we won. This was a big deal. This showed Philadelphia has some great lacrosse, too.”